Iceberg of Ignorance

The “Iceberg of Ignorance” says that executives only know 4% of what is going on in their organizations. This has critical implications for how strategy should be developed.

Coined in 1989 by Sidney Yoshida, the Iceberg of Ignorance has become a popular metaphor to illustrate how little top executives usually know about what is really going on in their organizations.

Allegedly, executives know only 4%, while managers know 9%, team leaders 74% and staff 100% of the problems in an organization.

The exact percentages don’t really matter. Furthermore, I don’t think that Yoshida meant to say that staff knows much more about a company than executives, even collectively.

Because, of course, executives and managers also know a great deal about their organization (at least in most cases). And staff don't know about a lot of things that executives and managers do know about.

So, the real point is not that staff knows everything and that executives know nothing. Or that a fully bottom-up or democratic approach to business is the solution.

No, the real implication is the realization that EVERYONE in an organization knows something important and that we need all that knowledge on board if we want to make the right, important decisions. Along that line, I think the percentages in reality are cumulative, so that executives + managers + team leaders + staff TOGETHER know 100%.

The area where this is most relevant is strategy. Strategy is complex and difficult by definition because it concerns an organization’s future and covers everything going on within and around that organization.

Exactly because of that, the Iceberg of Ignorance is so important to be aware of. Because, executives don’t know enough to make strategy on their own. They only know the tip of the iceberg. They need their managers, team leaders and staff because each of them knows something else important as well.

This means #strategydevelopment needs to be participative and inclusive, giving everyone a place in the process and tapping the collective wisdom of the entire organization.

Is this already how strategy development takes place in your organization?

Source:Jerpen Kraaijenbrink

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AOC announces price increase for styrene-based products

AOC has announced a price increase of €150 per ton for its entire portfolio of #styrenebased Composite resins sold in #Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. The price increase will be effective September 1st, 2023, or as soon as contracts allow.

AOC is experiencing significant #price increases from its #styrene suppliers from multiple locations, both within Europe and importing into Europe from overseas. The company is doing its best to secure supply lines and ensure its customers can be reliably served. The #Styrenefree products sold by #AOC will not be affected by this price increase.

“AOC is doing its best to minimize the impact of the raw material cost increase, but presently we have no other choice but to raise the prices of our products”, explains Fons Harbers, Vice President Marketing & Sales EMEA of AOC.

Source:AOCRESINS/jeccomposites.com

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Harper Hygienics Introduces Feminine Hygiene Products

Harper Hygienics is adding feminine care products to its well-known Cleanic brand, which currrently includes cosmetic pads, buds and wipes.

 

In 2021, Harper Hygienics introduced Cleanic Naturals Organic Cotton, a pilot project for eco-friendly feminine hygiene products. The organic cotton sanitary pads with wings were a big success, with demand exceeding expectations. This has encouraged Harper Hygienics to expand its range of women's hygiene products. Recently, the company has introduced products in different price segments, namely, Cleanic Soft, Cleanic Pure Cotton and Cleanic Naturals Hemp to cater to a wider range of customers.

 

The new Cleanic Soft pads are designed for young confident Z-generation women who are looking for novelties and want to stand out. Both day and night versions have a bright, well-recognized, eye-catching packaging design. The pads have a double absorbent layer that secure two times more #absorbency than competitor products, as confirmed by laboratory tests. This, combined with a delicate elastic top layer and special wings, makes Cleanic Soft pads comfortable and easy to use.

 

Cleanic Pure #Cottonpads have a top layer made of 100% organic cotton. The soft and #breathable pads provide comfort and reliable leak protection with an attractive and creative #packaging design to appeal to modern, active, and self-confident women. The exceptional delicacy for the #skin was confirmed by 100% of respondents during a survey commissioned by #Harper Hygienics.

 

Finally, Cleanic Naturals #hemp is a premium-quality product representing an extension of the Naturals line. The absorbent core of the pads is produced with organic cotton and hemp fibers with #antibacterial and #hypoallergenic properties, making them a natural solution for sensitive skin. The pads are dermatologist tested and free of fragrances and dyes. 

Source:nonwovens-industry.com

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Avaada signs MoU with TSSEZL to develop green hydrogen and ammonia facility

Avaada Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Limited (TSSEZL) to establish a green hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing unit.

The facility will be located at Gopalpur Industrial Park, Odisha, #India, and expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 2 million tonnes to support the green energy transition.

The collaboration will advance India’s ambition to become a global #greenhydrogen manufacturing hub, and is a “crucial milestone” towards Avaada’s green ammonia plans, according to Chairman Vineet Mittal.

In April (2023), Avaada raised $1.07bn to fund its green hydrogen and ammonia ventures as part of its ongoing $1.3bn fundraising plan. The group has said it currently operates a project portfolio of 4GW with plans to scale up to 11GW by 2026.

In 2022, the company unveiled plans for a #greenammonia facility in Kota, India, expected to have a production capacity of one million tonnes per year, after signing an MoU with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Rajasthan.

Source:Avaada group/h2-view.com

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : VITRIMERS:

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

VITRIMERS:

Vitrimers is a relatively new term for a class of polymers that have existed for decades. These classes of polymers are special as they have properties of both thermosets and thermoplastics. Traditionally, thermoplastics can be recycled and reworked. Thermosets are generally known to not undergo any further reactions and chemical changes once they are formed and crosslinked.

Vitrimers have crosslinked structures like thermosets but they can be recycled like thermoplastics. This is made possible because of bond exchange reactions. These bond exchange reactions happen even in the solid state so the thermoset polymer has a mechanism of plasticity and adhesive bonding even in the solid-state.

The first vitrimer polymer was developed by James Economy’s group at UIUC in the 1990’s.The research demonstrated a new class of thermoset polymer systems that were processable by virtue of topology changes within the covalent networks as mediated by bond exchange reactions.This class of polymers was called aromatic thermosetting copolyester. It was shown composite laminae could be consolidated to make a dense composite structure.The Economy group conducted studies employing secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) on deuterated and nondeuterated fully cured vitrimer layers to discriminate the length scales (<50 nm) for physical interdiffusion between vitrimers constituent atoms providing evidence towards eliminating physical interdiffusion of the polymer chains as the governing mechanism for bonding between vitrimer layers.

The term vitrimer came after two decades of this work and it has drawn interest to this new field of polymers.Vitrimers were first termed as such in the early 2010s by French researcher Ludwik Leibler, from CNRS. Leibler and co-workers developed silica-like networks using the wellestablished transesterification reaction of epoxy and fatty dicarboxylic or tricarboxylic acids. Besides epoxy resins, other polymer networks have been used to produce vitrimers, such as aromatic polyesters, polylactic acid (polylactide),polyhydroxyurethanes,epoxidized soybean oil with citric acid and polybutadiene.

Healthcare:

The integration of Smart materials is transforming the healthcare industry by addressing long-standing challenges. Consider the possibilities of prosthetic limbs that dynamically adjust their shape to match various objects,providing amputees with a natural and adaptive grip. With the strategic incorporation of vitrimers, prosthetic technologies are advancing, enabling wearers to regain functionality and enhance their quality of life.

Smart plastics are driving innovation in the development of smart bandages that intelligently adapt to changes in wound conditions.These bandages leverage their shapeshifting properties to optimize healing and prevent infections by releasing targeted medications/adjusting their shape to suit the wound environment.

Source:ATSP INNOVATIONS/ACSPublications/Mallinda/Smart Mater

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Svante August Arrhenius-Nobel Prize 1903

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Svante August Arrhenius-Nobel Prize 1903

This Swedish physical chemist is best known for his theory of electrolytic dissociation in aqueous solution, first presented for his doctorate thesis at the University of Uppsala when he was 24. The idea that oppositely charged ions resulting from dissociation of molecules could be present in the same solution initially met a hostile reception, but with support from Ostwald, van't Hoff and others the theory was gradually accepted.

Arrhenius was able to demonstrate the effect of electrolytic dissociation on osmotic pressure, lowering the freezing point, and increasing the boiling point of solutions containing electrolytes.

He then examined the relationship between toxins and antitoxins, their importance in relation to biological problems such as serum therapy, digestion and absorption, as well as gastric and pancreatic juices. The great importance of electrolytic dissociation theory is universally accepted today, even if some modifications have been found necessary.

Arrhenius also applied physicochemical principles to the study of meteorology, cosmology, and biochemistry. In meteorology, he predicted the scientific conclusion that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause global warming.

Svante Arrhenius made important contributions to our understanding of the greenhouse effect and the role of greenhouse gases in Earth’s climate. In 1896, he published an article entitled “On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground,”which suggested that the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by human activities could lead to global warming.

Arrhenius suggested that the carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases in the Earth’s atmosphere acted like a greenhouse by trapping heat from the sun and preventing it from escaping back into space. He calculated that doubling the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could raise global temperatures by up to 5-6 degrees Celsius.

He is also known for the Arrhenius Equation k = A exp -E/RT, which describes the effect of temperature on reaction rates. He was instrumental in establishing physical chemistry as a separate discipline. A man of eclectic scientific interests, he later published papers on immunology, cosmology and geology. He was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Source:turkchem.net/chemistry.msu.net

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#chemistry #electrolyte #greenhousegas #meteorology #cosmotology  #globalwarming #biochemistry #discovery #nobelprize

Tosaf Launches UV Blocker Additive for Clear Packaging Films to Prevent Food Spoilage

Tosaf introduces the newly developed barrier solution UV9389PE EU for clear packaging films. It offers a high blocking effect against UV radiation in the #wavelength range from 200 nm to 380 nm, even at low thickness.

Tosaf’s new #UVblocker contributes to the prevention of food wastage due to #premature #spoilage.

High-efficiency at Very Low-dosages:
This additive efficiently protects foods from #discoloration, vitamin and #flavorloss as a result of the degrading effects of artificial light to which they are exposed during storage, shipping and on the shelf.

Unlike conventional mineral-based products of this type, the optical properties and in particular the transparency of films finished with UV9389PE EU are almost completely retained.

Further advantages are the high efficiency even at very low dosages as well as the minimal influences on the behavior during production and further processing of the films, including printing and lamination. The range of applications extends beyond foodstuffs to other #industrialfilm applications where the protection of sensitive goods from UV radiation is required.

The new UV blocker UV9389PE EU complements #Tosaf’s broad portfolio of stabilizer masterbatches to maximize resistance against #UVlight. Their applications reach from agricultural films, to stretch, shrink and industrial packaging and big bags (FIBC), and also cover #injectionmoldedparts, #extrudedpipes and sheets, fibers and nonwovens, roofing membranes and many others.

ource: Tosaf/specialchem
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